Cover for Covering a Pile

ABSTRACT

A cover for covering a pile is disclosed, which includes a sheet to overlay the pile, and a plurality of restraints attached to the sheet, a free portion of each restraint extending from the sheet to be fixed in relation to the pile in use, thereby to fix the sheet in relation to the pile, and a sheet contacting portion of each restraint extending at least partially over the pile in use.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/903,260, filed May 28, 2013, which claims priority to Australian Patent Application Serial Nos. 2012902207, filed May 28, 2012, and 2013900968, filed Mar. 20, 2013. Priority is claimed to these applications, and all are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cover, such as a tarpaulin, for covering a pile (e.g. a pile, stockpile or haystack).

BACKGROUND

The words “pile”, “dump”, “stockpile” or “haystack” and all other appropriate terms will be used interchangeably hereafter, though the word “pile” is intended to encompass within its scope the scope of the other terms.

A cover, which will hereinafter be interchangeably referred to as a tarpaulin, is commonly used to cover and protect a dump from weather or contaminants. A cover can also assist in digestion and decomposition of material in the dump (e.g. a silage bin).

A cover or tarpaulin is, in essence, a large sheet or a plurality of sheets connected by sewing or welding, that overlays a dump to provide a physical barrier to direct impact of weather or contaminants on at least a portion of the dump.

Tarpaulins are typically light-weight and, due to their large surface area, are readily blown off the dump or stockpile. Tarpaulins have traditionally been weighed down to prevent them from blowing off dumps. However, the tarpaulin can still billow when a breeze blows under its edges or across the tarpaulin and thus the weights (e.g. tyres), which tend not to be uniformly distributed over the cover, cause a non-uniform stress distribution across the tarpaulin, increasing wear and decreasing the working life of the tarpaulin. Such a breeze can also result in the tarpaulin tearing and/or dislodgement of the weights and the tarpaulin can therefore blow away.

To ensure tarpaulins are securely held in place regardless of breezes, they have more recently been secured in place by clips, cinches, pegs, sandbags or soil fixed along their edges. Such securing mechanisms still allow breezes to affect the tarpaulin and as the tarpaulin billows stress is placed on the points at which the securing means are connected to the edges of the tarpaulin and cause flex wear to the body of the tarpaulin. The increased stress ultimately results in premature wearing of the tarpaulin.

Tarpaulins for fitting over large dumps are typically stored in a folded, concertina fashion. When being positioned over a dump, such tarpaulins are pulled from opposite corners of the tarpaulin along either side of the dump to cover the dump. Given the weight of a large tarpaulin, and the height of dumps over which large tarpaulins must be dragged, a significant amount of force is required to drag a large tarpaulin over a dump. In order to impart the force on the tarpaulin it is common to bunch up in the corner of the tarpaulin, tie it to a vehicle using a rope or strap as an intermediary, and use the vehicle to tow or pull the tarpaulin over the dump.

Using vehicles to tow tarpaulins over dumps often results in the corners of tarpaulins becoming torn and damaged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tarpaulin in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a tarpaulin in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, formed by joining three separate sheets;

FIG. 3A is a close-up view of a restraint of the tarpaulin shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is a partial cross-section view of two tarpaulins joined together, and a restraint extending within the join;

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of an access point or vent in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, in an open condition;

FIG. 5A shows the vent of FIG. 4 in a closed condition;

FIG. 5B shows a clamping system for clamping a vent in a closed condition;

FIG. 5C shows a clamped vent on a cover that is in position on a pile;

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of an alternative vent in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, in a closed and stowed condition;

FIG. 7 shows a further closed condition of the vent of FIG. 6 before being stowed in a storage pocket;

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the vent of FIG. 6 in an open condition with a sampler extending therethrough;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the vent of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the vent of FIG. 6 in an alternative open condition;

FIG. 11 is a close up view of an anchor point in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a close-up view of an alternative embodiment of an anchor point in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a close-up plan view of a sleeve and restraint system;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a tarpaulin in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a close-up view of a corner portion of the tarpaulin of FIG. 14 showing a corner pull;

FIGS. 16 to 18 are close-up views of alternative corner portions of tarpaulins;

FIGS. 19 to 24 are close-up views of reinforced corner portions of tarpaulins; and

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of a tarpaulin having a restraint attached to either surface/side, to enable the tarpaulin to tied down regardless of which side of the tarpaulin faces upwardly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A cover 10, as shown in FIG. 1, is used for covering a pile (e.g. a dump, stockpile or haystack). The cover 10 comprises a substantially rectangular polymeric sheet or body 12 that is fibre reinforced, though the body 12 may be fabricated from any appropriate material and have any desired shape. For the purpose of illustration, any item that may be referred to as a “sheet 12” or “body 12” will be referred to as a “tarpaulin 12” in the detailed description, though it will be appreciated that products and items falling within the scope of the more general term “sheet” are intended to be capable of substitution in place of the term “tarpaulin” in the present disclosure.

The cover 10 includes a plurality of restraints 14 attached to the tarpaulin 12 at regular intervals along its length, an access point or vent 16 on the tarpaulin 12, and an anchor system 18 to which an operator can attach to maintain the operator on the dump when the tarpaulin 10 is in use. The restraints 14 can be formed from webbing or any other appropriate material.

A cover 19, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises a tarpaulin 12 that overlays a pile to protect the pile from weather and pests. The cover 19 further includes a plurality of restraints 14 attached to the tarpaulin 12. A free portion 20 of each restraint 14 extends from the tarpaulin 12 (e.g. past the edge 22 of the tarpaulin 12—see FIG. 3A) to be fixed in relation to the pile when the cover 19 is in use, thereby fixing the tarpaulin 12 in relation to the pile. Each restraint 14 further includes a sheet (i.e. “tarpaulin”) contacting portion 24 that extends at least partially over the pile when the cover 19 is in use.

A tarpaulin 12 may be formed from one or more separate sheets of material. For ease of description, where there are two or more sheets attached together to form a tarpaulin, those two or more sheets will be referred to as “subsheets”: in other words, they are a sheet that constitutes less than the entirety of the body of the tarpaulin. The tarpaulin 12 shown in FIG. 2 is formed from three subsheets 26, 28, 30 connected together (e.g. by welding or sewing) along connection lines X. The subsheets 26, 28, 30 are each 2 m wide, though in general subsheets that form a tarpaulin need not have the same size or shape.

Any down force applied to the restraints 14 when securing the tarpaulin 12 in position, and any wind loading during use of the cover 19, will be applied to the tarpaulin 12 by the restraints 14 at the point where the restraints 14 are connected to the tarpaulin 12. By extending at least partially over the dump when the cover 19 is in use, the restraints 14 distribute the load applied to the tarpaulin 12 over a greater portion of the tarpaulin 12 than is achievable using prior art restraint systems: prior art restraint systems generally attach only to an edge of a tarpaulin or are free straps that are thrown over the tarpaulin and secured down on either side of the tarpaulin. In the case of straps sewn into edges of a tarpaulin, there is a significant amount of wear at the points at which the straps are tied down as the entirety of the tie down force is applied through those points. In the case of free straps thrown over the tarpaulin, such straps have no fixed portion, in contrast to the restraints 14 of the present disclosure, and can shift back and forward against the tarpaulin increasing wear. The restraints 14 of the present embodiment provide many advantages including a comparative reduction in wear of any particular portion of the tarpaulin 12, thereby increasing the working life of the cover 19, and the ability to increase the load applied by the restraints 14 to the tarpaulin 12 without damaging the tarpaulin 12. This latter advantage can be particularly useful where the cover 19 is intended to be used in windy conditions or to compress material (e.g. silage) covered by the cover 19.

In addition, since the cover 19 will often be unsecured at its edges while loading product onto or off the pile, the restraints 14 reduce the danger of the subsheet(s) 26, 28, 30 billowing up while workers are on the cover 19 since the restraints (e.g. straps) 14 can be loosened rather than only being capable of absolute attachment or detachment (i.e. one or the other, such as is the case where straps are directly attached to pegs in the ground).

With reference to FIG. 1, another exemplary method of using the present cover 10 during addition/removal of material from the pile is to release one or more restraints 14′ at the end of the pile to/from which material is intended to be added/removed. The tarpaulin 12 is then folded back over itself, with the fold being positioned at or near a second restraint 14″. The second restraint 14″ is tensioned (e.g. by tightening a ratchet connected to its ends) to secure the tarpaulin 12 at the fold. The tarpaulin 12 is then tensioned open (i.e. secured in an open position) by securing the unsecured restraint 14′ in a folded back position (e.g. where restraint 14′ is in effect superimposed over restraint 14′″). This process reduces the likelihood that the tarpaulin 12 will move any appreciable amount during addition/removal of material from the pile, thereby also reducing the likelihood of injury to workers.

Restraints 14 are positioned generally centrally on each subsheet 26, 28, 30 between the sides of the subsheet 26, 28, 30. However, since the weakest parts of the tarpaulin 12 will typically be where the subsheets 26, 28, 30 have been connected together, restraints 14 are also positioned on either side of each join between the subsheets 26, 28, 30. This can potentially reduce stresses placed on those joins. The restraints 14 are substantially equidistantly spaced away from the join on either side. Alternatively, there may be a restraint 14 extending along the join on top of the subsheets 26, 28, 30 or, as shown in FIG. 3B, within the join. Similarly, restraints 14 may extend along the cover 10 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the joins between the subsheets 26, 28, 30, or in any other desired direction and position extending at least partially across the cover 10.

The end subsheets 26, 30 may be tapered or folded towards their respective outer ends. As the width of the subsheets 26, 30 tapers towards the outer ends of the cover 10, the restraints 14 can be shortened towards those outer ends. Thus the length of the restraints 14 can be changed to suit the shape and configuration of the subsheets 26, 30, and of the cover 10 in general.

Each of the restraints 14 of FIG. 2 has two free portions 20 extending from the tarpaulin 12 at respectively different positions to be fixed in relation to the dump. In particular, each of the restraints 14 extends over the dump from one side of the tarpaulin 12 to the other so that the free portions 20 extend away from opposite edges of the tarpaulin 12.

In this arrangement the sheet contacting portion 24 of each restraint 14 extends over the dump from at or near one side of the tarpaulin 12 to at or near an opposite side of the tarpaulin 12. Thus the sheet contacting portion 24 of each restraint 14, being the length of the respective restraint 14 between the two free portions 20 thereof, applies a uniform load across the width of the tarpaulin 12.

It will be appreciated that the longer the sheet contacting portion 24 the greater the area over which force can be applied by the restraint 14 to the tarpaulin 12.

The restraints 14 may extend from side to side of the tarpaulin 12 as is presently the case, but may also extend diagonally along the tarpaulin 12 or in any other direction. It is, however, preferred that the direction of extension of each restraint 14 remains substantially linear (e.g. in a straight line when the tarpaulin 12 is laid flat on the ground) as bends in the trajectory of the restraint 14 will result in variations in load applied by the restraint 14 to the tarpaulin 12 along the length of the restraint 14.

The shape of the dump, though under the tarpaulin 12 in FIG. 2, will be widely known and need not be discussed herein in detail.

Each restraint 14, as shown in FIG. 3A, further includes a sleeve 32 that is fixed to the tarpaulin 12. The sheet contacting portion 24 of the respective restraint 14 is received within the sleeve 32. The sheet contacting portion 24 can slide within the sleeve 32 so as to enable adjustment of the length of the free portions 20 of the restraint 14. This is advantageous when the free portions 20 are anchored at different distances from the tarpaulin 12 as discussed below.

The sleeve 32 has an opening 34 that delineates the end of the free portion 20 and the commencement of the sheet contacting portion 24. Unless the free portion 20 and sheet contacting portion 24 are in exact alignment (i.e. they form a straight line at the transition from the free portion 20 to the sheet contacting portion 24, and are preferably collinear throughout the sheet contacting portion 24) the opening 34 will experience greater force, and correspondingly greater wear, than other parts of the sleeve 32. The opening 34 is therefore reinforced to improve its longevity. The opening 34 may be reinforced by, for example, sewing or welding webbing material around the opening 34 or anchoring a metal ring to the end of the sheet contacting portion 24 at the opening 34.

To prevent the free portion 20 from withdrawing or retracting entirely into the sleeve 32, the free portion 20 is provided with a stop 36. While any appropriate type of stop may be used, the present stop 36 is a piece of rubber stitched (e.g. using a polytetrafluoroethylene thread sewn across the free portion 20 at position Y: such thread is capable of use in relation to the sewing of other features, such as patches 50 (discussed below) to the tarpaulin 12) to the webbing of the free portion 20 transversely to the free portion 20. The stop 36 is too wide to retract into the sleeve 32 and thus the free portion 20 can retract into the opening 34 only as far as the stop 36.

The tarpaulin 12 and any or all parts of the restraint 14 may be formed from any appropriate material but will typically be formed from polymeric materials that have high strength with only limited elasticity. Some elasticity is generally desirable so as to ensure that spikes in wind loads are damped. The elasticity should not, however, be so high as to enable the tarpaulin 12 to drift or be uncontrollable on the dump. Materials appropriate for patches, tarpaulins and subsheets described herein include polyvinylchloride, polypropylene and polyethylene, along with other woven fabrics having waterproof coatings.

The sleeve 32 may be attached to the tarpaulin 12 in any appropriate manner, such as by welding or stitching. Similarly, the rubber stop 36 may be attached to the free portion 20 using any appropriate technique.

The free portions 20 of the restraints 14 may be fixed in relation to the dump by any known means such as by attaching the free portions 20 to pegs wedged into the ground. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 the free portions 20 at the opposite ends of each restraint 14 in fact form one part of a ratchet system 39, the cooperating part of each ratchet system 39 being fixed to a base 38 under the dump. The operation and connection of such ratchet systems will be well understood in transport load securing operations, such as when securing a load to a flat bed truck, and need not be discussed in detail save to say that the ratchet enables the progressive tightening of the restraints 14 onto the dump by drawing more of the free portion 20 of each restraint 14 into the ratchet. Similarly, the ratchet enables progressive loosening of the restraints 14 to enable addition of material beneath the cover 10, or controlled loosening of the cover 10 for removal from the pile.

Since the restraint 14 has a free portion 20 at either end, each free portion 20 forms part of a different ratchet system. Tightening of the respective ratchets causes more of each free portion 20 to be drawn into the ratchet. Consequently, the length of the restraint 14 between the ratchets reduces as the ratchets are tightened. Tightening of the ratchets therefore increases the down force applied by the restraints 14 to the dump.

Depending on the size of the dump and the uniformity or otherwise of its shape, the free portions 20 may be anchored (e.g. extend into a ratchet) at different distances from the tarpaulin 12. Since the sheet contacting portion 24 can slide within the sleeve 32 the restraint 14 can readily accommodate such differences in anchoring distance.

The restraints 14 may alternatively not include a sleeve 32 but may instead each comprise a strip of, for example, webbing material extending at least part way over the dump and stitched or welded to the tarpaulin 12 either along the length of the strip or at the end of the respective strip remote from the end secured in relation to the dump (e.g. the free portion 20). Though such an arrangement is less ideal than using restraints 14 that extend over the full width of the tarpaulin 12, the load applied by the restraints 14 to the tarpaulin 12 nevertheless remains distributed along the length of the respective strip of webbing material that is in contact with the tarpaulin 12. In this circumstance, a restraint may comprise a weldable PVC webbing welded directly to the tarpaulin 12, thereby eliminating the need for a sleeve 32.

As a further alternative, the sleeve 32 may instead be formed at the join between adjacent subsheets 26, 28 that are connected together to form the tarpaulin 12, as shown in FIG. 3B. In this case, the subsheets 26, 28 are connected (e.g. sewn or welded) along two substantially parallel lines 38′, 38″. The restraint 14 thus extends through the sleeve 32, which sleeve 32 is defined by both subsheets 26, 28 and the joining lines 38′, 38″ connecting those subsheets 26, 28.

A cover 40, as shown in FIG. 4, is used for covering a pile. The cover 40 comprises a tarpaulin 42 (area surrounding and beneath access point 16, hereinafter numbered 46) that overlays the pile in use, and comprises an opening or slit 44 (shown in broken lines) through which the pile is accessible.

The cover 40 further includes a resealable access point 46 attached to the tarpaulin 42 about the opening 44. The access point 46 may be positioned anywhere on the tarpaulin 42: for example, the access point 46 may be positioned towards the middle of the tarpaulin 42 so that, when the cover 40 is in position on a pile, the access point 46 will be at or near the highest point of the tarpaulin 42. Positioning an access point 46 at or near the top of a dump facilitates venting of gasses and moisture laden warm air from the dump if necessary.

The access point 46 comprises a flexible member, presently sleeve 48, attached to the tarpaulin 42 and moveable between an open condition (see FIG. 4) in which the dump can be accessed, and a closed condition for preventing access to the dump (see FIG. 5A). The sleeve 48 is in register with the opening 44 (i.e. ‘in alignment’ so an implement such as a grain sampler can extend through both the sleeve 48 and opening 44 simultaneously thereby to access the dump) so that, when the cover 40 is in use, the dump can be accessed through both the sleeve 48 and opening 44 together. The access point 46 may be positioned anywhere on the cover 40 as desired, and the cover 40 may include any number of such access points 46.

The sleeve 48 is a flexible tube that is fixed (e.g. by welding or sewing, for example, using the polytetrafluoroethylene thread mentioned above) to a substantially square fabric patch 50 that is in turn fixed to the tarpaulin 42. The join Z between the sleeve 48 and patch 50 may be reinforced to reduce the likelihood that repeated flexing of the sleeve 48 will result in cracks or other faults being formed at that join.

As an alternative to using a patch 50 the sleeve 48 may be fixed directly to the tarpaulin 42. However, the arrangement shown is preferred as it enables sleeves 48 of a standard size to be used regardless of the size of the opening 44, since the patch 50 can be tailored to cover the particular opening 44: this also enables the access point 46 to be retrospectively fitted to an opening or tear in an existing tarpaulin.

While FIG. 4 shows the flexible tube 48 in an open condition, to enable access to the dump, FIG. 5A shows the flexible tube 48 in a closed condition at the top T of the dump. In the closed condition the flexible tube 48 is at least partially flattened (e.g. against the patch 50) to shut the tube 48. While the sleeve 48 may be flexible, yet heavy, so that it will tend towards laying flat against the patch 50 the present sleeve 48 is maintained in the closed condition by a closing member or clamp 52.

Clamp 52 is formed from a rubber/plastic strip and serves to clamp the end of the tube 48 against the patch 50. The strip 52 may be flexible so that it can stretch to enable an operator to push the end of the sleeve 48 between the strip 52 and tarpaulin 42 or patch 50, thereafter to elastically resile to hold the end of the flexible tube 48 flat against the patch 50. The strip 52 may instead be rigid and simply rely on there being sufficient friction between the tube 48 and clamp 52, and tube 48 and patch 50 or tarpaulin 42, to prevent the tube 48 from being inadvertently released from the clamp 52.

An alternative clamp 53, as shown in FIG. 5B, includes two metal/plastic strips 53′, 53″ between which the flexible tube 48 is sandwiched. The strips 53′, 53″ are fastened together by wing nuts 53″' and one of the strips 53′ is secured to the tarpaulin 42 or patch 50 in an appropriate manner (e.g. by positioning a nut on the inside of the cover 10, the nut being separated from the tarpaulin 42 by a small fabric patch so as not to damage the tarpaulin 42. The clamp 53 may alternatively be attached to the sleeve 48 or be freely moveable (i.e. unattached except when clamped around the sleeve 48). It will, however, be appreciated that many different clamping or closing systems will be suitable for closing the sleeve 48, and clamping or closing systems can be made from any suitable material: all such systems and materials are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5C shows a vent or access point 46 in position on a tarpaulin 42 at the top of a pile or dump when the cover 40 is in use.

The clamp 52, 53 may be attached to the patch 50 by any known method including those attachment methods mentioned above. In the embodiment of FIG. 5C the sleeve 48 may even extend upwardly from the patch 50 at all times (e.g. being self-supporting) so that it is in position to enable access to the dump via the sleeve 48 upon removal/loosening of the clamp 52, 53. Alternatively, the configuration shown in FIG. 5C may be an intermediate position of the sleeve 48 between a closed condition (e.g. as shown in FIG. 5A), and an open condition enabling access to the dump through the sleeve 48.

An alternative access point 54 is shown in FIG. 6 in which a sleeve 56 is attached to an inner surface of a patch 58 (i.e. the surface of the patch 58 that faces the tarpaulin 60). The tarpaulin 60 (comprising subsheets 26, 28, 30) again includes an opening 62 (indicated by a dotted line) through which the pile is accessible.

The patch 58 also includes an opening 64 and defines a pocket 66 for housing the sleeve 56. The pocket 66 and consequently the sleeve 56, are thus located between the opening 64 in the patch 58 and the opening 62 in the tarpaulin 60. The openings 62, 64 are preferably slits and can therefore be sealed using tape or any other sealing method after having been used. When arranged as shown in FIG. 6, the opening 62 in the tarpaulin 60 remains on the internal side of the tarpaulin 60 (i.e. on the side of the tarpaulin 60 facing the dump) so there is no need to apply tape to that opening. Instead, only opening 64 in the patch 58 need be sealed when the sleeve 56 is not in use.

When the sleeve 56 is stowed in the pocket 66 a rubber clamp 68 (or alternative system such as clamp 52 or 53) is applied to the end of the sleeve 56 to hold the sleeve 56 in a closed condition. The rubber clamp 68 is formed by two pieces of rubber connected at their ends (e.g. by a fastener such as a metal crimp, or by welding or sewing) and biased towards being parallel with each other. The clamp 68 can therefore be opened by moving the two pieces of rubber apart, to insert the end of the sleeve 56 therebetween, and upon release of the clamp 68 the two pieces of rubber come together to clamp the sleeve 56 shut either at its end or at some position intermediate its ends.

Also when in a stowed condition tape 70 is placed over opening 64 to seal the opening 64 thereby to prevent ingress of contaminants and animals (e.g. birds). Once the tape 70 is removed the sleeve 56 can be drawn through the opening 64 as shown in FIG. 7. The clamp 68 is then removed and the sleeve 56 can be opened to (i) in the case of the first occasion on which the access point 54 is used, cut opening 62 into the tarpaulin 60 at point O (FIG. 7 shows the tarpaulin 60 at a point in time between opening of the pocket 66 by accessing opening 64, and cutting opening 62 into the tarpaulin 60—note the clamp 68 is still in position in FIG. 7 and would need to be removed to access the tarpaulin 60 at a point at which opening 62 is to be cut into tarpaulin 60), and (ii) for each subsequent use of the access point 54, enable an implement such as a grain sampler 71 to be extended sequentially through the opening 64, sleeve 56, opening 62 and into the dump (e.g. a stockpile of grain) beneath the tarpaulin 60 as shown in FIG. 8.

For the purpose of illustration, FIG. 9 shows a plan view of the substantially square patch 58 stitched or welded to a tarpaulin 60 with tape 72 welded over the top of the joins between the patch 58 and tarpaulin 60.

Since the access point 54 will experience use by an operator when accessing the dump, it is likely that the access point 54 will wear faster than other portions of the cover. Increased wear will also occur when, for example, birds peck the cover of a grain dump in the region of the patch 58 to collect grain that may have fallen when the operator last used the access point 54.

The arrangement shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 can be turned upside down, as shown in FIG. 10, to enable the other side of the cover to face outwardly. The sleeve 56 can thus be selectively extended through either opening 62, 64 to enable access to the dump, depending on which side of the tarpaulin 60 is upwardly facing at the time access is desired.

When upside down as shown in FIG. 10, opening 64 is positioned internally of the tarpaulin 60 and need not be sealed when the sleeve 56 is not in use, and opening 62 must now be sealed to prevent ingress of contaminants and pests. This arrangement enables the tarpaulin to be turned over when the patch 58 or one side of the tarpaulin 60 becomes worn, thereby increasing the working life of the cover.

The patches 50, 58 may also be made from a more robust material than the tarpaulin 42, 60 to ensure that they wear at a rate comparable to that of the tarpaulin 42, 60 though they experience greater use than the tarpaulin 42, 60. This will ensure wear of the cover as a whole is substantially uniform.

The opening 44, 62 in the tarpaulin 42, 60 may be cut when the respective access point 46, 54 is first being used. To achieve this, the sleeve 48, 56 of the access point 46, 54 is opened and a knife or blade is inserted through the open sleeve 48, 56 to cut the tarpaulin 42, 60. Alternatively, the opening 44, 62 may be cut in advance of the access point 46, 54 being positioned on the tarpaulin 42, 60. The access point 46, 54 is then positioned over the opening 44, 62 and is attached (e.g. by sewing or welding, with the stiches or weld being subsequently covered by tape). This latter method may be less desirable since it relies on accurate positioning of the access point 46, 54, whereas cutting the tarpaulin 42, 60 through an already positioned access point 46, 54 ensures the opening 44, 62 is accurately positioned. The latter method, however, may result in damage to the access point 44, 62 if the operator cutting the respective opening 44, 62 slips with the cutting implement.

It will be appreciated that any appropriate vent or access point may be used and still remain within the scope of the present disclosure. Preferably, however, whatever access point is used it should be resealable.

The access point 46, 62 may be supplied in situ on a cover (e.g. cover 10), but may alternatively be supplied separately for fitting to, for example, an existing cover. To that end, a resealable access point 46, 62 may be provided for attaching to the tarpaulin 42, 60 at a point at which access through the tarpaulin 42, 60 is desired, the access point comprising an access member (e.g. sleeve 48, 56) attached to the tarpaulin 42, 60 and moveable between an open condition in which the pile can be accessed, and a closed condition for preventing access to the pile. The resealable access point 46, 62 may be positioned over an existing opening in the tarpaulin 42, 60, or may be positioned at a point on the tarpaulin 42, 60 at which access is desired, the opening being cut into the tarpaulin 42, 60 after positioning of the resealable access point 46, 62.

Such an access point may constitute part of a kit. For example, a kit for creating a resealable access point may be provided, the kit comprising an access member (e.g. sleeve 48, 56) for attachment to a tarpaulin 42, 60 at a point at which access through the tarpaulin 42, 60 is desired. The kit may further include a sheet engagement member (e.g. patch 50) to which the access member is attached or attachable, the sheet engagement member being for attachment to the tarpaulin thereby to attach the access member to the tarpaulin. The kit may further include a closing member (e.g. clamp 52) attached or attachable to one or more of the tarpaulin, sheet engagement member and access member, for closing the access member when not in use. The access member may be flexible so as to be accessible when the tarpaulin has a first face facing upwards, and to be drawn through an aperture in the tarpaulin so as to be accessible when the tarpaulin has an opposite, second, face facing upwards. To that end, the access member may be attached directly to the tarpaulin and/or sheet engagement member (if one is provided in the kit) on an outer side of the tarpaulin or sheet engagement member, or may be attached to the tarpaulin or sheet engagement member at a position between the tarpaulin and sheet engagement member.

For ease of use, the components of a kit (e.g. access member and sheet engagement member), or a subset thereof, will be attached to each other in an appropriate arrangement prior to sale.

In the case of the reversible cover (e.g. as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10), anchor systems discussed hereafter, and restraint systems discussed above, may be attached to one or other side of the cover, or both sides of the cover. In the particular example shown in FIG. 3B the sleeve 32, and thus also the restraint 14, is commonly accessible (i.e. is suitably positioned for use to tie down or secure the cover 10) regardless of whether the cover 10 is the right way up or upside down. In such configurations the sleeve 32 may extend, between weld or stitching lines 38′ 38″, to opposite edges of the cover 10 so that the restraint 14 extends from the opposite edges. In other words, since the edges of the cover 10 are conveniently accessible irrespective of which face of the subsheets 26, 28 faces upwardly, having the restraints 14 extend to the edges ensures they are also conveniently accessible irrespective of which face of the subsheets 26, 28 faces upwardly.

Restraint systems may also be simply attached to both sides of one or more of the subsheets 26, 28, 30 so as to enable the tarpaulin 12 formed by those subsheets 26, 28, 30 to be readily reversed. Such a system is shown in FIG. 25 in which a combination of different types of restraints 14′, 14″ is used. As shown, restraint 14′ extends over the cover from one side to the other, with a free portion 20′ at either end of the restraint 14′ (only one free portion 20′ being shown in FIG. 25) and a sheet contacting portion 24′ between the free portions 20′. On the opposite side or face of the tarpaulin 12′, a restraint 14″ is provided having only one free portion 20″, and a fixed sheet contacting portion 24″ extend part way over the pile in use. In a first configuration a first side 65′ of the tarpaulin 12′ will face upwardly and thus restraint 14′ will be accessible and securable to maintain the tarpaulin 12′ in position over a pile. In a second configuration a second side 65″ of the tarpaulin 12′ will face upwardly and thus restraint 14″ will be accessible and securable to maintain the tarpaulin 12′ in position over the pile. It will be appreciated that, in general, more than one restraint 14″ will be necessary to ensure that the tarpaulin 12 is secured at both, opposite sides.

For the case where a restraint 14′, 14″ is not in use it will be in contact with material constituting the pile. To prevent the restraint 14′, 14″ from degrading when in contact with that material it may be coated with a water-resistant or waterproof coating, housed within a waterproof sleeve as discussed above in relation to restraints 14, and/or its respective free portion(s) 20′, 20″ may be received in a pocket (not shown) similar to pocket 114 discussed in relation to FIG. 17.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a cover 74 is shown, the cover 74 being for covering a pile. The cover 74 comprises a tarpaulin 76 to overlay the pile when the cover 74 is in use. Due to the height of some piles and the steepness of the sides, operators on piles are at risk of injury if they fall: such is particularly the case where the dump is a haystack since the sides are sheer and often a number of metres high.

To maintain an operator on the dump when the cover 74 is in use, the cover 74 further includes an anchor system 78 attached to the tarpaulin 76, to which an operator can releasably attach. The anchor system 78 comprises a fabric patch 80 attached (e.g. by welding or sewing) to the tarpaulin 76. The fabric patch 80 is the same as, or similar to, the patches 50, 58 discussed above.

A strip of webbing material 82 is attached at both ends (e.g. by stitching S) to the fabric patch 80. A portion of the webbing material 82 between its ends is not attached to the patch 80, thus defining a loop or anchor point 84 to which an operator can attach e.g. by latching a carabiner of a harness onto the anchor point 84.

It will be appreciated that the strip of webbing material 82 may be sewn directly onto the tarpaulin 76. However, the size of the join between the webbing material 82 and tarpaulin 76 will be small when compared with the size of the join between the patch 80 and tarpaulin 76. Therefore the tarpaulin 76 is more likely to tear if the webbing material 82 is sewn directly thereto. Such a tear would enable ingress of contaminants and animals into the dump. It also means that the main cover is not compromised by stitching holes.

Since the present strip of webbing material 82 is connected to the patch 80, tears will more likely form between the material 82 and patch 80 rather than between the patch 80 and tarpaulin 76. Since the patch 80 is applied on top of the tarpaulin 76 (i.e. there is no opening in the tarpaulin 76 below the patch 80) the dump will not be accessible through any tear that forms at the join between the patch 80 and webbing material 82.

The operator may instead connect to a running line 86, as shown in FIG. 12, that passes through multiple anchor points 84. The running line 86 extends in a substantially straight line between aligned anchor points 84 and is connected at either end to the tarpaulin 76, respective anchor points 84 or respective patches 80.

An operator may mount the dump by attaching a first carabiner or other catch to the running line 86 and walk up the dump. The first carabiner or catch will slide along the running line 86 until the next anchor point 84 is reached. A second carabiner or catch is then attached to the running line 86 on the side of the anchor point 84 opposite the first carabiner. The first carabiner is then detached and the operator can move further up the dump.

A cover 10 may comprise multiple such running lines 86 as shown in FIG. 1, extending in different direction across the cover 10. The running lines 86 preferably extend past any vents or access points 14, 46, 54 so as to provide easy access to those points 14 46, 54 when an operator is on the dump.

The anchor system 78 may alternatively comprise one or more long strips of webbing material extending over and/or along the dump in use. The strip may be secured intermittently (i.e. at intervals, regular or otherwise) to the tarpaulin 76 thereby creating a plurality of anchor points 84 wherever a portion of the strip that is not stitched to the tarpaulin 76 is bounded by portions of the strip that are stitched to the tarpaulin 76. This arrangement can be less preferable to the arrangement previously described since it would, in practice, usually warrant the use of a continuous patch following the trajectory of the strip to ensure the likelihood of tears of the tarpaulin 76 are reduced. By way of contrast, the running line 86 may only require patches 82 under the locations of anchor points 84. Also, a running line may be connected to a shroud or attachment point (e.g. D-shackle) at opposite sides of the tarpaulin, which shroud could be accessed from both sides of the sheet thereby enabling the running line to be readily attached to the opposite side of the tarpaulin in the event that the tarpaulin is turned over.

As a further alternative, the anchor system may comprise stainless steel b-rings sewn onto patches on the tarpaulin. However, D-rings will generally be less desirable than webbing anchor points since the tarpaulin, when rolled for storage, may become damaged by the D-rings.

The anchor system 78 may be provided in situ on a tarpaulin when sold. Alternatively, an anchor system 78 may be provided in a kit, for retrofitting to an existing tarpaulin. Such a kit for an anchor system may comprise one or more sheet engagement members (e.g. fabric patch 80) and one or more fixing points (e.g. a strip 82 or a D-ring) attached or attachable to a respective engagement member, the respective engagement member being attachable to the tarpaulin (i.e. sheet) thereby to attach the respective fixing point to the tarpaulin (i.e. sheet). The kit may also include a running line and fixing ends (e.g. loops or clips in the ends of the running line) for attachment to an outermost (e.g. closest to an edge of the tarpaulin) fixing point, or to a corresponding clip or ring, such as a D-ring, sewn onto the tarpaulin. This may similarly be how any such running line could be attached.

It will be appreciated that combinations exist (such as two fixing points for positioning on a single sheet engagement member) that are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

The kit may further include accessories such as an operator belt or harness, along with a cord and carabineer or other means for attaching to a fixing point or running line.

Each of the components of the covers described herein, above and below, may be formed from any appropriate material. For example, the webbing material, restraints, running lines etc may be formed from 25 mm webbing, belt or a rope. It will usually be preferable to form the patches 50, 58, 78 from the same material as the tarpaulin 42, 60, 76 so as to facilitate attachment of one to the other.

As mentioned above, each of the restraints 14 has two free portions 20 extending from the tarpaulin 12 at respectively different positions to be fixed in relation to the dump. In particular, each of the restraints 14 extends over the dump from one side of the tarpaulin 12 to the other so that the free portions 20 extend away from opposite edges 22 of the tarpaulin 12. In so doing, the sheet contacting portion 24 extends over the pile from at or near one side 22 of the tarpaulin 12 to at or near an opposite side 22 of the tarpaulin 12.

The sheet contacting portion 24 of each restraint 14 slides within a sleeve 88. The sleeve 88 is welded or otherwise attached to the tarpaulin 12 and is open at either end so that the sheet contacting portion 24 extends through the opposite openings of the sleeve 88 and the free portions 20 of the restraint 14 extend away from the sleeve 88 from respective openings therein.

With reference to FIG. 13, the sleeve 88 may comprise a fixed portion 90 that is fixed in position relative to the tarpaulin 12. The sleeve 88 may further comprise a flexible portion 92 that extends from the fixed portion 90 of the sleeve 88 to the free portion 20 of the restraint 14. The flexible portion 92 moves with the free portion 20 towards and away from the fixed portion 24.

The flexible portion 92 can be attached to the fixed portion 90 and free portion 20 by any known means. In the present case, the flexible portion 92 is attached to be fixed portion 90 and free portion 20 by stitching. However, it will be understood that the sleeve 88 may be made from a relatively flexible material such that the flexible portion 92 is simply an extension of the same material forming fixed portion 90.

The flexible portion 92 ensures that the opening 94 that would otherwise be formed in the sleeve 88 in the event that the flexible portion 92 is not used, remains closed. In the event that the flexible portion 92 is not provided, when the cover 10 is used with the surface to which the restraints 14 are attached facing upwardly, insects and pests can enter the sleeve 88. Since covers 10 will often be flipped over from one season to the next, to reduce premature wearing of either side of the cover 10, any pests nesting in the sleeve 88 will have access to the dump when the cover 10 is flipped over. By way of contrast, since the flexible portion 92 prevents access to the sleeve 88, or enables the sleeve 88 to be evacuated by pulling on the free portion 20 of the restraint 14 to draw more of the restraint 14 out of the sleeve 88, pests cannot access the inside of the sleeve 88. Thus when the cover 10 is flipped over there are no pests that can escape the sleeve 88 into the pile.

The flexible member 92 as shown may be replaced by any appropriate means for preventing access of pests and insects to the interior of the sleeve 88. For example, the sleeve-shape flexible member 92 may be replaced by an elasticised patch having a slit therein, with the webbing of the restraint 14 sliding through the slit, with the slit contacting (e.g. by slidable friction fit) both sides of the webbing at all times.

A restraint 14 may be fitted to a cover 10 as supplied (i.e. in situ). However, it may also be convenient to supply restraints 14 for retrospective attachment to existing covers 10. To that end, a kit may be provided for forming a restraint for a cover. The kit may include a restraint (e.g. restraint 14) and restraint containment member (e.g. sleeve 88) for containing a portion of the restraint, or a plurality of restraints and restraint containment members. Each restraint containment member may include a fixed portion (e.g. fixed portion 90) for fixing to a cover 10, and a flexible portion (e.g. flexible portion 92) attached or attachable to one or both of the fixed portion and respective restraint. For convenience one end of the restraint may be attached to the restraint containment member. It can be useful to supply a restraint and restraint containment member pair attached together at only one end, to facilitate cutting of the restraint and restraint containment member at the opposite end to fit a particular cover.

All kits described herein may further include the necessary supplies (e.g. needle, thread and tape) to facilitate attachment of the respective features to the cover 10.

An alternative cover 94 for covering a pile is shown in FIG. 14. The cover 94 comprises a tarpaulin 96 to overlay the pile, and a pull member 98. The pull member 98 comprises a plurality of corner pulls 100. While a corner pulls 100 has been provided at each corner, enabling the tarpaulin 96 to be dragged from its corners in either direction along a pile, a corner pull 100 may instead be provided at only one corner, or the corner pulls 100 may be replaced by, or used in conjunction with, a central pull 102 (shown in broken lines). It will be appreciated that any number and arrangement of pulls may be provided as desired, and all such arrangements are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

The cover 94 is formed from a plurality of regularly shaped rectangular sub-sheets 104 welded (or otherwise attached) together along respective long edges of the sub-sheets 104. The cover 94 is substantially rectangular in shape to extend over a substantially rectangular dump.

A corner pull 100 as shown in FIG. 15 comprises a free portion 106 from which the corner pull 100 can be pulled to pull the tarpaulin 96 over the pile. Each corner pull 100 further includes a sheet-engaging portion 108 attached or attachable to the tarpaulin 96 and extending away from the free portion 106 along the surface of the tarpaulin 96 so that a force applied to the free portion 106 during pulling is passed from the corner pull 100 to the tarpaulin 96 along a length of the sheet-engaging portion 108.

The corner pull 100 may be one of many pulls that are positioned anywhere on the tarpaulin 96 and together constitute a pull member 98 as discussed above, and comprises a strip 110 of webbing material welded (see reference 112) in a U- or V-shape to the tarpaulin 96. The welded portions 108 of the strip 110 extend from either end of the strip 110 towards the middle of the strip 110, with a free portion 106 between the welded portions 108.

As the free portion 106 is pulled, force applied to the free portion 106 (e.g. by a vehicle attached by a rope to the free portion 106) is transferred from the free portion 106 to the welded portions 108, and from the welded portions 108 to the tarpaulin 96. Thus the force applied to the free portion 106 is distributed along the length of the welded portions 108, reducing the likelihood of tearing or damage to the tarpaulin 96 due to force concentrations during dragging of the cover 94 over the pile.

The free portions 106 extend from the fixed portions 108 towards a corner of the cover 94. However, the free portions 106 may instead extend along the cover 94 in the direction of which the cover 94 will be dragged, or may have any other orientation as desired.

Once the cover 94 is in position, the free portions 106 may be anchored (e.g. by Guy-ropes) to the ground, or otherwise fixed in relation to the pile, to serve as anchors for retaining the cover 94 on the pile.

The corner pull 100 is formed from a webbing material that is substantially inelastic. This is so that, in the event that a corner pull 100 breaks or comes loose during pulling it will not spring back and endanger operators or damage the cover 94. In some cases, however, elastic or slightly elastic webbing may be used so that the free portion 106 can be stretched around a peg or anchor to secure a corner of the cover 94 when the cover 94 is in position on the pile.

If it is not desired that the free portions 106 be used to anchor down the corners of the cover 94, and there is a likelihood that the free portions 106 will become damaged if left exposed when the cover 94 is in position on a pile, the cover 94 may be provided with a corner pocket 114 fixed to one side of the tarpaulin 96 as shown in FIG. 16.

The corner pocket 114 comprises a right-angled triangle-shaped patch of fabric the orthogonal edges of which are parallel to edges of the tarpaulin 96. The orthogonal edges are welded or otherwise attached to the tarpaulin 96, with the diagonal edge of the corner pocket 114 remaining unattached and thereby forming a triangular pocket in which the free end 106 is housed when not in use. The corner pocket 114 prevents the free end 106 from flapping in the breeze, or rubbing in the dirt when the free end 106 is not in use.

The corner pocket 114 also serves to reinforce the corner of the cover 94.

Rather than, or in addition to, corner pocket 114 a reinforcing patch 116 can be provided as shown in FIG. 17. The reinforcing patch 116 is welded or otherwise attached to the tarpaulin 96 along its edges or alternatively over its entire surface. If the corner of the tarpaulin 96 is scrunched up and tied to a vehicle so that the cover 94 can be dragged over a pile, the corner of the tarpaulin 96 is reinforced by the fabric patch 116 will be less likely to tear when compared with a corner that has not been reinforced.

Similar to corner pocket 114, reinforcing patch 116 is in the shape of a right-angled triangle. However, the corner pocket 114 and reinforcing patch 116 may be any appropriate shape as desired, and cover both sides of the tarpaulin 96 rather than being positioned on only one side thereof

The corner pocket 114 and reinforcing patch 116 may be any appropriate material, and presently are formed from a polymeric sheet.

An alternative pull member or corner retainer 118 is shown in FIG. 18. The corner retainer 118 again comprises a corner pull. In this embodiment, the corner pull 118 includes a strip or strips of webbing material 120 that is/are sewn onto a respective rectangular strip or patch of fabric 122. The strip or patch of fabric 122 is welded onto the tarpaulin 96 of the cover 94.

The U-shaped or V-shaped arrangement of the present pull member 118 is similar to that of the previous pull member 98

This corner retainer 118 is particularly useful where the webbing material 120 cannot readily be welded to the tarpaulin 96. Since the webbing material 120 is sewn to the fabric 122, no welding is required of the webbing material 120. Also, while the webbing material 120 of the present embodiment has been sewn to the fabric 122, any other appropriate method can be used in place of sewing.

Corner retainer 118 is also useful where greater tensions are to be placed on the webbing material 120 than would be expected with the corner retainer 98 of FIG. 15. In this regard, the fabric patch of FIG. 18 distributes the force applied to the corner retainer 118 over a larger surface area of the tarpaulin 96, namely the surface area of patches 122, than is achieved using the corner pull 98 of FIG. 15.

Since a significant amount of force will be applied to the corners of the cover 94 through the corner retainers 100, 118 when drawing the cover 94 over a pile, the corners and edges of the cover 94 can be strengthened as shown in FIGS. 19 to 24: these figures show some of many variations in reinforcement and strengthening strips and patches, and all such variations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In FIG. 19, a reinforcing webbing strip 124 has been welded to either an underside or on top, or both, of the tarpaulin 96 of the cover 94. It will be appreciated that such reinforcement may also be supplied in circumstances where no pull member 98 is provided.

While reinforcing webbing strip 124 is directly attached to the tarpaulin 96 it may be instead sewn to a fabric patch that is then welded to the tarpaulin 96. This variance will be understood to be applicable wherever webbing material, reinforcements and similar are used in relation to the tarpaulins described herein and those incorporated by reference.

The reinforcing strip 124 extends parallel to the edge 126 of the cover 94, either along the edge 126 or spaced back from the edge 126 as shown. By spacing the webbing 124 back slightly from the edge 126 it is less likely that the webbing 124 will be damaged when the edges 126 of the cover 94 are damaged (e.g. by dragging along the ground), and also provides room to attach other securing means (e.g. retaining eyelets—not shown) in the cover 94 between the reinforcing webbing 124 and the edge 126 of the cover 94 by which the cover 94 can be secured over a dump. Spacing the webbing 124 back from the edge 126 can also facilitate clamping of the cover to a bunker wall or other structure, by providing a free portion of material between the webbing 124 and edge 126.

An alternative reinforcing arrangement is shown in FIG. 20, in which an edge or side reinforcing strip 124 has been applied similar to that shown in FIG. 19, and an additional strip 128 has been welded to the tarpaulin 96 to extend substantially diagonally across the cover 94 towards the corner 130. While the angle of the diagonal strip 128 relative to the edge 126 of the tarpaulin 96 may be any desired angle, in the present case the diagonal strip 128 extends from the corner 130 in the general direction of the diagonally opposite corner of the rectangular tarpaulin 96. The angle of the diagonal strip 128 will depend inter alia on the positions of other reinforcements on the tarpaulin 96, where the tarpaulin 96 is to be tensioned when in position over a dump, and where it is anticipated that tensions will arise in the tarpaulin 96 as a result of any prevailing wind.

Yet a further alternative is shown in FIG. 21, in which a restraint strap 132 has been welded along an edge 126 of the tarpaulin 96, and the reinforcing strip 124 intersects the restraint strap 132. The restraint strap 132 runs generally along the entire length of the cover 94 and has free ends 134 extending from opposite ends of the cover 94. The free ends 134 of the restraint strap 132 can be secured to the ground by any known means (e.g. a peg or as part of a ratchet strap the cooperating component of which is anchored in relation to the pile) to hold the cover 94 on the pile. The free ends 134 can also be attached to a vehicle (or similar) so that the vehicle can be used to drag a cover 94 over the pile.

The restraint strap 132 is substantially parallel with a lengthwise edge of the tarpaulin 96. However, if the cover 94 is to be dragged from the centre of a particular side (e.g. as would be the case in respect of pull member 102 in FIG. 14) the restraint strap 132 may extend from a side, or a corner, of the tarpaulin 96 to a position substantially centred on the side of the tarpaulin 96 from which the cover 94 is to be pulled over the pile.

Since the reinforcing strip 124 intersects (and is connected to) the restraint strap 132, there is a continuity of force around the corner 130 of the cover 94. By way of contrast, if the restraint strap 132 and reinforcing strip 124 were not to intersect, any force applied to the reinforcing strip 124 would have a concentration about the end of the reinforcing strip 124, thereby weakening the tarpaulin 96 in the region of the end of the reinforcing strip 124. It will be appreciated that a similar interconnecting characteristic can be gained by welding reinforcing strips 124 around or near the entire perimeter edge 126 of the cover 94 so that force applied to any edge 126 of the cover 94 will be appropriately distributed.

FIG. 22 shows yet a further alternative embodiment in which there are a plurality of reinforcing strips 136 at various angles radiating from the corner 130 of the cover 94. At the point at which the reinforcing strips 136 meet (i.e. at the corner 130 of the cover 94) there is an eyelet 138 for connecting a guy-rope or like device to the cover 94 to secure the cover 94 in position. Moreover, a webbing loop could be passed through the eyelet 138, providing a handle for tensioning the cover 94 over a pile, or pulling it into position. It will be appreciated that eyelets 138 may be substituted for any appropriate fixing device, such as a D-ring or O-ring, and all such alternatives are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

In a similar manner, to afford pulling and anchoring of a tarpaulin webbing loops, or loops made from any other appropriate materials, may be sewn into one or more edges of the tarpaulin 96. Such loops may also be formed by discontinuous/intermittent sewing or welding of a reinforcing strip parallel to an edge of the tarpaulin 96: the portions of the strip that are not sewn to the tarpaulin 96 effectively form loops to which ropes and straps can attached to afford pulling and anchoring of the tarpaulin 96. Moreover, the loops may be formed anywhere on the tarpaulin 96 (not just at the edges or parallel to the edges). For example, loops or sleeves may be formed (e.g. by welding or sewing webbing, fabric or polymeric strips on the tarpaulin 96—it should be noted that such materials may be used herein for any strip, webbing, restraint etc) across the tarpaulin 96 from side to side at intervals along the length of the tarpaulin 96. Such a configuration may result in loops or sleeves being formed, for example, along the lines of join between adjacent sub-sheets 104 as shown in FIG. 14. Pipes or structural members can be inserted through such loops or sleeves (or the loops may be attached, such as by a hook and loop fastener system (e.g. Velcro®), about the pipes or structural members) to form ribs spaced along the tarpaulin 96. The pipes or structural members serve as a support to maintain a shape of the cover 94, and as a support for pulling the cover 94 over the dump or holding the cover in position once installed.

In addition to these substantially linear reinforcing strips 136, the cover 94 of FIG. 22 includes a large quarter-circle fabric reinforcing patch 140 welded to the tarpaulin 96 over its entire surface. The radial lines of the quarter-circle patch 140 are parallel, and coincide with, edges 126 of the tarpaulin 96.

The patch 140 reinforces the corner of the tarpaulin 96 but can also serve to spread the load (i.e. tensile forces) applied at the corner. Similarly, loops formed along the edges of the tarpaulin 96 may be looped around a pipe, or a pipe may be inserted into a sleeve sewn or otherwise formed in the edge of the tarpaulin 96, so that the pipe facilitates distribution of load along the tarpaulin 96.

The patch 140 may be provided on the same side, or the opposite side, of the tarpaulin 96 to the reinforcing strips 136, and may also be provided for reinforcement even where no reinforcing strips are used. The patch 140 may also be welded only along its edges or in a pattern as appropriate, and the patch 140 may have any desired shape. For example, rather than having a quarter-circle shape, the fabric patch may have a rectangular shape as identified by 142 in FIG. 23. Two of the four sides of the patch 142 are, similar to the patch 140, coincident with and parallel to sides 126 of the tarpaulin 96.

A further alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 24, in which reinforcing strips 144 have been welded along substantially the entire length of tarpaulin 96. From this and the other Figures, it will be appreciated that any number and arrangement of reinforcing strips and patches, on one or both sides of the cover 94 or tarpaulin 96, may be used to provide appropriate strength to the cover 94 or tarpaulin 96 to enable it to withstand being pulled over a pile, and to withstand tensions applied to retain the cover 94 or tarpaulin 96 over the pile. For example, there may be only one corner pull 98, 118, or side pull 102.

In general, the reinforcing strips and patches serve to distribute forces that would otherwise be concentrated. For example, in FIG. 22 a force applied to the loop, ring or eyelet 138 will be distributed by the radiating reinforcing strips 136 outwardly from the corner 130 across a large area of the cover 94. In another example, in FIG. 21 the side reinforcing strip 124 will distribute along the respective side 126 of the cover 94 a load applied to a point on that side 126 of the cover 94.

It will be appreciated that materials described herein, such as webbing used for strips 124 and 144, and polytetrafluoroethylene thread for sewing members together, may be substituted for any appropriate material. For example, the webbing may be substituted for rope welded, sewn or otherwise attached to the edge of the sheet or body of the cover. All such variations in materials and methods for their attachment together, are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

It will be understood to persons skilled in the art of the invention that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country. 

1. A cover for covering a pile of grain, comprising: a sheet to overlay the pile, wherein the sheet comprises two or more sub-sheets connected together; and a plurality of restraints attached to the sheet, a free portion of each restraint extending from the sheet to be fixed in relation to the pile in use, thereby to fix the sheet in relation to the pile, and a sheet contacting portion of each restraint extending at least partially over the pile in use, wherein the sheet comprises an opening through which the pile is accessible; and a resealable access point attached to the sheet about the opening, the access point comprising an access member attached to the sheet and moveable between an open condition in which the pile can be accessed, and a closed condition for preventing access to the pile.
 2. A cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one restraint has two free portions extending from the sheet at respectively different positions to be fixed in relation to the pile.
 3. A cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet contacting portion extends over the pile from at or near one side of the sheet to at or near an opposite side of the sheet.
 4. A cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet contacting portion extends into a sleeve.
 5. A cover as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sleeve comprises a fixed portion fixed in position relative to the sheet, and a flexible portion extending from the fixed portion to the free portion, the flexible portion being movable with the free portion.
 6. A cover as claimed in claim 1, further including a pull member comprising: a free portion from which the pull member can be pulled to pull the sheet over the pile; and a sheet-engaging portion attached or attachable to the sheet and extending away from the free portion along a surface of the sheet so that a force applied to the free portion during pulling is passed from the pull member to the sheet along a length of the sheet-engaging portion.
 7. A cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein the pull member comprises a strip.
 8. A cover as claimed in claim 7, wherein the free portion is disposed intermediate ends of the strip, and the sheet-engaging portion comprises two sheet-engaging parts each part extending from the free portion to a respective end of the strip.
 9. A cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein the pull member comprises a substantially V-shaped or U-shaped strip.
 10. A cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the access member comprises a flexible sleeve in register with the opening so that, when in use, the pile can be accessed through both the sleeve and opening together.
 11. A cover as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of resealable access points.
 12. A cover as claimed in claim 1, further including an anchor system attached to an outer surface of the sheet, to which an operator can releaseably attach to maintain the operator on the pile when in use.
 13. A cover as claimed in claim 12, wherein the anchor system comprises a plurality of anchor points to which the operator can releasably attach, the anchor points being arranged substantially in line along the sheet.
 14. A cover as claimed in claim 12, wherein the anchor system comprises a running line to which the operator can releasably attach, and a plurality of stop loops passing around the running line, the stop loops and running line being fixed to the cover. 